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174 people arrested for driving under the influence this week

Gardaí have arrested 174 people this week for drinking under the influence, 24 of which were arr...
Mairead Maguire
Mairead Maguire

15.53 30 Dec 2022


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174 people arrested for drivin...

174 people arrested for driving under the influence this week

Mairead Maguire
Mairead Maguire

15.53 30 Dec 2022


Share this article


Gardaí have arrested 174 people this week for drinking under the influence, 24 of which were arrested on suspicion of drug driving.

The figures come at the end of a year where 156 people died on Irish roads, including 41 pedestrians and 23 motorcyclists.

Tiredness-related collisions are three times more likely to be fatal or result in a serious injury, according to Drinkaware.

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With New Year celebrations on the cards this weekend, the message is to never drink and drive.

The charity is urging motorists to leave at least one hour to process one standard drink before driving.

Drink calculator

Jennifer Flynn, Communications Director at Drinkaware, told Newstalk that the drink calculator on its website provides a guide for driving the morning after a night out.

"That will give you an estimated time, depending on how many drinks you've had, of when you'll be safe to drive", she explained.

"It's important for people to know that there are many different factors that can impact this processing time, so one hour per one standard drink is a guide only."

"Things like you weight, your gender, your metabolism, your mood, if you've eaten or not."

Reminding people of what a standard drink looks like can help people gauge their intake more accurately.

"Some common examples of a standard drink would be a 100ml glass of wine, half a pint of beer or a pub measure of spirits", Ms Flynn said.

Pictured is actor Mark Mannion posing for a swab on Essex Quay. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Planning ahead

The calculator is "only an estimation", and motorists are advised to instead plan ahead of time to avoid having to drive at all.

"Make sure you leave the car at home, plan ahead and look for alternative ways to get to and from your destination", Ms Flynn said.

"You could drive if you decide to switch to or try non-alcoholic alternative options."

"If you are visiting a place that you've never been to before... call ahead and make sure that there are different transport options for you", she added.

The charity works to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse in Ireland.

RSA

The Road Safety Authority's figures show that there have been 22 more fatalities on roads this year than there were this time last year.

Communications Manager with the RSA Brian Farrell told Newstalk about the most dangerous times on Irish roads.

"The real dangers out there on the road remains the weekend and remains late at night", he said.

"These are patterns that we're seeing reemerge since we've come out of the post-COVID situation."

"Linked to the nighttime economy reopening, we are seeing that pattern come back in terms of road deaths and injuries."

Main image shows a pint of beer at the bar of a pub next to some car keys.


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